Every major technology changes the brain.
Books changed memory.
Calculators changed arithmetic.
GPS changed navigation.
Now AI is changing something even deeper.
How we think.
Psychologists call this cognitive offloading, using external tools to reduce the mental effort required for remembering, solving problems, or making decisions.
We already do it. We save phone numbers instead of memorizing them. We use GPS instead of learning routes. We rely on reminders instead of remembering appointments.
AI takes cognitive offloading a step further.
Instead of helping us store information, it can generate ideas, summarize books, solve problems, write emails, create presentations, and even answer questions before we’ve fully thought them through.
This isn’t inherently good or bad.
But it raises an important question:
If we stop exercising certain cognitive skills, what happens to them?
The brain is remarkably adaptable.
Through neuroplasticity, the neural connections we use repeatedly become stronger, while those we neglect can become less efficient over time.
If AI consistently does our critical thinking, writing, recalling, or problem-solving, we may gradually rely on it instead of strengthening those abilities ourselves.
This doesn’t mean we should avoid AI.
It means we should use it intentionally.
Perhaps AI should help us think better, not think less.
How can we prevent unhealthy cognitive offloading?
Try solving a problem before asking AI.
Recall information from memory before searching online.
Write your first draft yourself, then use AI for refinement.
Occasionally navigate without GPS on familiar routes.
Read long-form content to strengthen sustained attention.
Schedule regular periods without digital devices.
Because neuroplasticity works in both directions.
The brain strengthens what we practice.
The question isn’t whether AI will change our cognition.
It already is.
The real question is:
Are we shaping the technology or allowing the technology to shape us?
How do you use AI in a way that enhances your thinking without replacing it?
MBH/PS